Jimmy Carr has become one of the most well known names in comedy over recent years, with everything from controversial and memorable jokes behind him, to his huge group of celebrity pals, building him a strong and loyal fan base. And now the star has dished on his rise to fame and transformation over the years.

Jimmy kicks off a brand new tour in May next year, bringing together some of his best jokes over the years - plus a heap of new material to please his fans. He promises The Best Of, Ultimate, Gold, Greatest Hits Tour will be "phenomenally rude" - and we couldn't be more excited.

"I think it will be quite rude, I think it will be phenomenally rude," he tells Mirror Celeb in an exclusive interview.

Jimmy has caused a fair few stirs in the past with his darker sense of humour - but he insists his main aim is to make people laugh.

Defending his more outrageous jokes, he tells us: "People that come to see the show know what they're going to see.

Jimmy Carr

But Jimmy believes while there is freedom of speech, comedians can be held accountable for what they say, even if it is clearly said as a joke on stage.

He adds: "You've got free speech from the the Government, you're never going to be told you can't say that. But you haven't got free speech in the sense that you can still p*** off the public. It's my right to offend and it's their right to be offended.

"I think it's perfectly valid for someone to go, 'I'm offended by that', I mean I'd be a bit annoyed if they came to a show now and said it, because come on, you knew that was going to happen."

As the star explains, "you never want to offend people, you want to make them laugh", and it's "just my sense of humour".

Jimmy is known for his close friendships with some of the biggest names in comedy, and asked to name some of his favourites, he singles out everyone from Danny Baker to Peter Kay, admitting "I have loads".

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"Looking at the earlier stuff I look so uptight, it's extraordinary, and I was a little bit fat. Why did no-one tell me I had a really fat face? I've got a fat face now but it's not crazy fat, it's acceptable, but at one point it looked like I'd been inflated."

Hmm REALLY? But he's almost as famous for his laugh and impressive head of hair these days as he is for his one-liners.

Asked what his secret is behind his locks, which he describes as resembling a "1950s American politician with a quiff", he reveals his hairdresser, a Glaswegian called Donald, also does Harry Styles and Benedict Cumberbatch's hair - and admits he also has his coloured.